Shortly after trading first baseman Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cleveland Guardians signed first baseman Carlos Santana, according to league sources.
The D-Backs are sending right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance round B selection to the Guardians for Naylor, 27, who hit a career-high 31 home runs in 2024. Cecconi, 25, had a 6.66 ERA over 77 innings this past season in 20 appearances that included 13 starts. Arizona selected Cecconi in the first round of the 2020 draft out of the University of Miami.
Slade Cecconi and Comp Round Pick B to Guardians
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 21, 2024
The Guardians agreed with Santana on a one-year, $12 million contract pending a physical, according to a league source. The 38-year-old, who played in Cleveland for 10 of his first 11 seasons, is coming off a strong season with the Minnesota Twins in which he played 150 games and won his first Gold Glove. He hit 23 home runs for the Twins while batting .238 with a .328 on-base percentage and a 109 OPS+. Of his 324 career home runs, 216 came as a member of the Guardians.
Santana’s compensation mirrors what Naylor was projected to make in arbitration, per MLB Trade Rumors.
The Miami Marlins selected Naylor, who will hit free agency after the 2025 season, with the No. 12 overall pick in 2015 and traded him to the San Diego Padres a year later. The Padres sent Naylor to Cleveland in an eight-player deal in 2020, and Naylor became a Guardians regular in 2022. He finished 22nd in the American League MVP voting in 2023 and made his first All-Star team in 2024.
(Photo of Josh Naylor: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
